


Road Trip

by impracticaljokers (stellarconstellation)



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: Attraction confession, Cursing because Staten Island, M/M, One bed two dudes cliché
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 14:56:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12534288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarconstellation/pseuds/impracticaljokers
Summary: A tropical vacation was what Brian Quinn had in mind when Joe Gatto said to take some time off. A four-man road trip was what James Murray convinced him to go on instead. After a long drive with Murr, a waitress that asks too many questions, and a less than appetizing meal, all Q wants is a place to crash before completing the drive. Hotel sleeping arrangements are always a mess, and this is no exception. Or is it?





	Road Trip

Nine hours ago Brian wouldn’t of imagined himself in this situation. Here he was sitting in his idle Jeep in the empty parking lot of a twenty-four hour diner at two a.m. in the pouring rain. To add to the peculiarity of his circumstance, beside him was a person whom he considered to be a lifelong friend. At least, it certainly seemed that way before Q was awoken at the crack of dawn by a phone call containing the unnecessary details of a road trip he wished he’d never been invited on.

Somehow, Joe Gatto, another friend he previously relied on for good advice, convinced Brian that he needed a change of scenery after the season wrap, and at the time, he couldn’t of agreed with him more–a relaxing beach vacation where the sun was hot but the women were even hotter; however, that dream was short lived when James Murray suggested they take a week-long trip to Austin, Texas–together. 

After being promised a day to spend by himself, Q reluctantly agreed to tag along. Since the trip was on such short notice, and Joe desperately needed to be back to his wife and children by next week, the four–Sal Vulcano decided to join them when Joe realized he would need someone to potentially room with– settled on driving the entire twenty-six hour excursion in pairs. They drew straws to see who would end up taking feet-on-the-dashboard James with them in their car. Lucky Brian wouldn’t admit he was upset he picked the shortest straw, but by taking one for the team, it would keep Murr from being killed by Sal after spending two minutes riding with him.

A little over two thirds of the way later, Brian had given into his garbage disposal of a stomach and pulled into the seemingly only open diner in the ghost town. James had been dead asleep for about two hours now, and Q considered leaving him behind while he filled up. Of course, he would never do such a thing. Not because he cared about Murr starving but because there was some kind of law about leaving children unattended in vehicles for periods of time. 

His friend was lying in an awkward position with his head flopped over onto the right shoulder of the seat, mouth slightly ajar, and a soft snore rattling through him. A quick nudge to the side had James snapping upright and mumbling nonsense before catching up to speed on where exactly he was. 

“C'mon, we don’t have all night. I’d like to be checking into the hotel in an hour. Not all of us have gotten the sleep we deserve,” Brian said, not waiting around for a response as he left the car towards the front door.

Murr was behind him in only a few seconds, nearly tripping over Q’s feet to slide into the booth and examine the menu. Brian shot him a disgruntled look that went unnoticed, and he decided to let bygones be bygones just this once so he could quickly eat and be in bed as soon as possible. 

The waitress that came to take their order was not the picturesque brunette woman with an unnaturally large chest Q had envisioned plenty of times in order to help him get a good night’s sleep in his teens. She was in her late sixties with short, curly red hair that had obviously been dyed several times, and she spoke in a raspy voice as if she’d been working here since before indoor smoking was disbanded in public places all across the country.

After jotting down James’s double order of pancakes and orange juice, she turned to face Q where he caught a glimpse of her name tag. “And what can I get for you, sugar?”

“Just water and the breakfast special for me,” he replied hastily, handing Donna his menu.

Donna hesitated by the table when she finished gathering their menus, standing with one hand on her hip, her lips partly open in surprise. She pointed a paint-chipped fingernail towards Brian. “Well, you’re certainly not from ‘round here, are you? What part of Yankee-ville did you come from?” 

Her remark had Murr giggling in his seat like a schoolgirl. Q scowled at him, his expression actually getting attention this time–enough so that it had James clearing his throat to respond. “Actually, we’re both from Stat-”

“Excuse me, but we’re kind of in a hurry. I’d love to sit and chat another time, but can you please put in our order?” Brian intervened, his patience wearing thinner and thinner each minute he was denied a pillow to lie down on.

If Donna was hurt by Q’s quick tongue, she certainly didn’t show it despite her smile fading almost instantaneously. Either way, she would be getting a tip, and if she was denied a conversation from two boys she’d probably never see again, that just meant going home sooner. She left the table without another word, but now Murr was returning Brian’s glare in spades.

Q wasn’t concerned with Murr’s angry stare, but he knew if he didn’t address it, the guy would continue to throw him daggers for the rest of the night. “What’s your deal?”

“She just asked you a simple question, Bri. You didn’t have to shoot her down like we’re in Vietnam,” James said, obvious disappointment clouding his features.

Brian chuckled once in disbelief. “Fuck, dude, how about you drive nine hours straight without a bite to eat or any sleep and have someone ask you bullshit questions at two in the morning?” Q was leaning across the table now, shouldering up to Murr as if he was some random jerk-off in a bar.

James kept a fairly stoic appearance despite the guilt clawing its way through his chest. Q had only made two stops for gas over the course of the ride and hadn’t bothered to touch the bag of trail mix Murr had been engorging on since they pulled out of Brian’s neighborhood. He waited until Q had relaxed into his seat enough to even begin to respond.

“I’m sorry. I know you’ve been driving sleep deprived all day on an empty stomach.” A long sigh escaped him bringing Brian’s attention from the dirty table surface to James’s face. “I shouldn’t of asked you to come. I know you wanted to spend all of these weeks in-between filming alone.”

There it was. That thing Murr did in order to get someone to feel a little bit of sympathy for him. The big brown eyes cast downward, lip partly puffed out, shoulders drooped at least two degrees from normal. It was like deja vu with the scene laid out before him, and it usually ended the same each time.

“No, Murray- James. Look, I’m sorry. I’m tired and hungry, but that’s no reason to take it out on you. You just wanted us all to take a guy’s trip for fun, and I appreciate that. I’m glad you invited me,” Q quickly reasoned with a smile for added effect.

Murr shifted in his seat, a small smile forming in his lips. “You’re a terrible liar, you dick, but thanks.” 

The tension in Brian’s body eased when he caught James showing off his teeth in that infamous grin. He felt comfortable enough to chuckle about it. “Fuck you. You’re driving tomorrow, and if you wreck my Jeep, I’ll still kill you even if we both survive.” 

Murr scoffed about Q’s threat, not worried in the least. “Fine, jerk, as long as I get to pick the music. I don’t think I can listen to Suspicious Minds and Protect Ya Neck in the same ten minutes again.”

Q pretended to be offended, his jaw dropping followed by a quick gasp. “At least I have good music taste. Besides, Elvis and Wu-Tang are good enough to be played side by side, and you know it.”

“Consecutively for nine hours along with all your other bands you claim to be phenomenal? I don’t think so.” James smile turned into a smirk when he felt confident about his counterpoint. 

It’s amazing how a simple meal can soothe two minds. When Donna set down two steaming hot plates of food, both boys fell silent. Brian’s plate looked to be disassembled with his scrambled eggs and bacon strips mixed together and two pieces of toast thrown carelessly on top while Murr’s pancakes were stacked prettily with a fat slab of butter on top and a warm bottle of syrup on the side. 

“Enjoy, sugar,” Donna said, winking at James then casting a side-eye to Q before returning behind the counter. 

“See what being nice gets you?” James bragged, a grin carving into his mouth as he drizzled the syrup over the fluffy cakes. 

“More like ass-kissing. Just shut up and eat your food, so we can leave this shit hole.” Brian stabbed his eggs and bacon, eating the entire forkful in one bite. 

Just like that Q was back to his old self just when James was getting hopeful. Nevertheless, he did what he was told, finishing his pancakes probably in a world record time. They left the diner after Brian unwillingly allowed James to give Donna the spiel on his life story. Q successfully managed to drag him out before he finished explaining why they chose Tenderloins as the name for their comedy troupe. 

The hotel was only five minutes down the road. It would be the first and last time Brian was thankful he was spending the night in a small town. Check-in, elevator, and a locked door were the only things keeping Q from at least four hours of sleep except for one small problem. When he reached their room, Brian almost had a nervous breakdown from what was laid out before him. 

“There’s only one bed? You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me right now!” 

James remained in the hallway as Q stormed into the room angrily, slinging his duffle bag to floor, and locking himself in the bathroom. When he heard Brian’s muffled curses fade out, Murr put down his things and sat on the edge of the bed, eyes focused on the old wooden door of the bathroom. He heard the water click on, and he released the breath he’d been holding in. 

While Q took his shower, James changed into a t-shirt and boxers. He hadn’t prepared for sharing a bed with Brian and therefore neglected to pack any shorts suitable for sleeping. He wasn’t particularly upset about having to sleep with him in the same space. They had done it multiple times throughout their childhood without a second thought. 

Murr couldn’t understand why Q would be so opposed to the sleeping arrangement. They were friends, and it meant nothing if they shared a few hours together under the same blanket. James would of hoped it would of meant something a couple years ago, but he immediately had given up on that fantasy as soon as Brian showed his disinterest simply by not displaying any sort of affection back.

He’d never outwardly confessed his feelings. He could never. The fear of rejection was much too strong, and he valued the friendship he’d built with him a lot more than any sort of fling that might come out it. He tells himself something might of happened had he tried harder than resting his knee casually against Q’s during a meeting or actually hugging him when they crossed paths rather than shooting him a quick smile and a brief pat to the arm. 

The door handle jiggled, causing Murr’s attention to snap up from the floor. Out came Brian clothed only by a towel wrapped around his waist obviously having forgotten something very important. James swallowed thickly, pulling both legs up onto the bed Indian style. He busied himself by twisting his hands in his lap, face cast downward to hide the color forming in his cheeks.

“I, um, left my clothes in my bag,” Q mumbled awkwardly as he dug around the black duffle.

Murr nodded his head too fast. “Y-Yeah,” he stuttered before clearing his throat. “Totally fine. Happens to all of us, right?” 

Brian chuckled a little louder than he anticipated, but it thinned the air nonetheless. “Right.” He turned towards the bathroom with his change of clothes in hand.

James glanced up, his arm extending as if he could reach him and hold him back. “Bri, wait,” he said, almost wishing he hadn’t. 

Q turned around quickly, his dark, wet hair clinging to the sides of his face. “Hm?” 

Murr’s mouth opened, but only hot air came out. His fingers curled into the blanket, jaw going slack. Jesus Christ, why does he have to be so fucking hot even out of the shower? His focused, rational thinking was going nowhere fast, and he ended up forgetting what he was going to say. All he could do was stare at the damned towel that was cockblocking him. 

“Hello? Earth to Murray.” 

James was unsure when Q had gotten close enough to wave a hand in front of his face. Now he was near enough that Murr could smell the cheap hotel soap clinging to his skin, and every instinct told him to grab whatever solid part of Brian’s body he could and pull him down for a kiss. 

James held onto his biceps as he made up for wasted years with his lips on Q’s. When Brian gripped Murr’s arms, fear shot through him as he expected to be shoved away from Q; however, he instead pulled him closer, Brian’s beard now rubbing hard enough to produce pink skin on James’s cheeks as if they weren’t red already. 

Murr came up for a breath, panting out heavily as his fingers carded through Q’s damp locks. “Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that.” 

Brian released James and crawled up onto the bed beside him, his towel subsequently falling off. “Shit, why didn’t you sooner? Could of saved a lot of time.” 

Murr’s mouth gaped open when the realization hit him that all this time Q had mirrored affection amongst the fact that his best friend was now sitting beside him completely naked. He didn’t know whether to slap him for leading him on or to kiss him to skip to the good part. Luckily, he didn’t have to do either because Brian was pushing him up further on the bed. 

“I-I… I don’t know,” James muttered, his limbs still shaky from the surprise as he leaned back into the various pillows. His cheeks were turning yet another shade darker.

Q smirked when Murr began to falter. Always so great at making up any sort of nonsense on the spot, and all it took was getting him hot and bothered to knock him off his high horse. Brian silently wished he had done this sooner, but it was better late than never. 

Q slid a hand up James’s shirt, hand splaying across his soft stomach while the other was hooking into the waistband of his boxers. Murr’s brain was turning to autopilot, and Brian decided to take control. “Well, I do know one thing–you have too many clothes on.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is a fanfiction I wrote on my Tumblr after receiving an ask that sparked the idea for it. Also, I love these two boys probably more than anything in the world. 
> 
> Tumblr @impracticaljokers


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